In the wake of the suspected car attack in Munich, Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU) believes it to be an attack. “Many things point in that direction” he said on the scene on Thursday. “Everything else” still needs to be investigated and the details will be clarified later. A police spokesperson, meanwhile, stated that the perpetrator is a 24-year-old Afghan man, who is an asylum seeker in terms of his status. He was arrested at the scene, during which a police officer also fired a shot at the vehicle.
The man allegedly drove a small car into a crowd in the Munich city center in the morning. At least 28 people, some of them severely injured, were reported by the police. The group of people involved was a part of a union march by the Verdi trade union.
Verdi reacted with shock and dismay, stating, “We are deeply shocked and appalled by the serious incident during a peaceful demonstration march.” The union will not engage in speculation and will wait for the police investigation to unfold.